Lighting Tips For The Rooms In Your Home

Lighting is essential as it redefines the space you are in so here are a few do’s and don’ts when it comes to lighting your home.

Living room

This is probably where you and your family spend most of your time making this an important space in your home. So much activity goes on in the living room or the ‘Family room’ as it is also known, which means you have to use powerful lighting that keeps the room as bright as it can be even when it is packed full of people. That makes recessed lighting a big no-no in this case, as it casts a lot of shadows and makes the room darker than it should be. Lighting designers suggest using ‘ambient’ lighting as this bounces light off the ceiling making the space look very well illuminated. Basically any space that people might gather in or any space you will spend a lot of time in is a good place to light well. You can additional have key pieces of artwork stand out by lighting it no matter which room it is in. For instance, in your children’s room if you have modern art for kids you can make it more sophisticated by lighting it up from above in order to make it a focal point of the room.

Kitchen

If you love to cook, then you will want to ensure that this space is well lit because preparing food and then cleaning up can become an irritating task if you can’t properly see what you are doing. The lighting above the kitchen sink, the cooker and your main work bench needs to be excellent because trust me you do not want to be straining your eyes every time you have to cook a meal. The kitchen also tends to be a gathering place in most home so you need to ensure the lighting is sufficient even if there is a big crowd in your kitchen. A good tip is to place light underneath the cupboards so that your counter top is lit properly.

Bedrooms

The bedroom is a place you want to relax so the lighting should reflect this whether it is in the master bedroom or the kids’ rooms. The children’s room should have various forms of lighting from dimmer switches to kids lamps which are great at bedtime and can be kept on their bedside table for when the children want to read bedtime stories before they go to sleep. The lights in the bed room should not be too bright or too dull. Light fixtures beside the bed, mirrors, dressers and in the closet are most important in these spaces.

Outdoor

If you like barbequing or walking in the backyard at night, then you need bright outdoor lights firstly for the purpose of safety so that no harm comes to you in the dark. Secondly to cast beautiful shadows and light up some plants so they look their best and add to the beauty of your garden aesthetically at least. Thirdly to just aid you when you want to do some outdoor grilling and for this you will need lights that help you see in the dark. Do not add too many lights outdoors just add what you absolutely need and then a few more well-placed lights to beautify the space. Besides the grill, the front door is another spot you will need a bright light but other than that do not put an unnecessary amount of lights outside.So be conscious of the way you light your space because it will make a world of a difference.